Latest news with #HeidySanchez
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tampa woman deported to Cuba after normal check-in at immigration office
The Brief A Tampa woman was deported to Cuba after a normal check-in at the immigration office. Heidy Sanchez was among more than dozens of migrants sent on a plane from Miami to Cuba last week as part of the trump administration's crackdown on migrants in the U.S. Her husband, Valle, said he met with Tampa U. S. Representative Kathy Castor on Friday to share his story. TAMPA - A normal check-in at the immigration office ended with a Tampa family being ripped apart, following a mother's deportation to Cuba. Heidy Sanchez was among more than dozens of migrants sent on a plane from Miami to Cuba last week as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on migrants in the U.S. Her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, is a U.S. citizen, and he said they are fighting for his wife's return. She left behind her husband and one-year-old baby girl Kaeleyn, who is nursing and has health conditions. Valle said they were in the middle of getting her status to stay in the country, but that process is now on hold. He said his wife's deportation did not give her due process. The last time they were all together was on Tuesday, April 22. What they're saying "We have lived very normal lives. We had our baby. We were able to buy our house and tragedy just surprised us," said Valle, Heidy's husband. READ: Clearwater Ferry crash: Firefighters describe rescue efforts after deadly boating incident Valle said his wife was detained that Tuesday after a regular check-in appointment with immigration and customs enforcement. A Cuban migrant who had been in Tampa since 2019, she deported last week back to Cuba. "My wife did everything by the law. She never got into any trouble. She went to all of her ICE appointments year by year," said Valle. He works to raise awareness of their situation at protests, and Sanchez has posted social media videos, pleading for their reunion. Now living at her mother's house, the couple video chat when Sanchez can get a signal, the latest on Thursday night when Valle put their daughter to sleep. "She tells me let me sing the lullaby that I would sing to her. And she starts and the baby kisses the phone and touches her face on the phone. And then I start crying, she starts crying," said Valle. Valle said they have been married for four years, and they were in the process of getting her status through family reunification. Until there's final approval of residency, immigration experts say migrants are vulnerable. "So that's a real big change, both that the US is not granting Cubans residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act as regularly as in past decades and that Cubans are being physically removed," said Michael Vastine, director of clinical programs and law professor at Stetson University College of Law. "It's hanging over the heads of many people that are in the U S that just haven't had those orders executed." As the days go on, Valle hopes it won't take years for his wife to hold their daughter again. "What I'm asking her for her to be returned to her daughter, so she can raise her daughter, care take for her," said Valle. Valle said he met with Tampa U. S. Representative Kathy Castor on Friday to share his story. Following the Tampa Bay deportations, her office said in a statement, "Immigration enforcement must be lawful and humane, not weaponized for political stunts." What you can do The Stetson law professor said anyone with questions or concerns about their status should call a nonprofit or private attorney that helps with immigration. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Briona Arradondo. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Straits Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Cuban mother's case fuels concerns over children caught in Trump deportation push
Heidy Sanchez, 44, reacts after talking to her daughter who is in the U.S. during an interview with Reuters at her home in Havana, Cuba, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Fuentes Heidy Sanchez, 44, reacts as she looks at family pictures in her cell phone during an interview with Reuters at her home in Havana, Cuba, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/David Sherwood Heidy Sanchez, 44, cries as she speaks to her daughter who is in the U.S. during an interview with Reuters at her home in Havana, Cuba, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/David Sherwood Heidy Sanchez, 44, shows a picture of her family during an interview with Reuters at her home in Havana, Cuba, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/David Sherwood Heidy Sanchez, 44, reacts after talking to her daughter who is in the U.S. during an interview with Reuters at her home in Havana, Cuba, April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Fuentes HAVANA - U.S. immigration officials' deportation of a woman to Cuba last week, separating her from her 1-year-old daughter, has drawn fresh attention to what critics say is the Trump administration's willingness to split up families as part of its migration crackdown. Heidy Sanchez, interviewed by Reuters on Monday, said she was told she would be deported and separated from her still-breastfeeding daughter, a U.S. citizen. Her account is disputed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which contends that parents are given a choice of taking their child with them and that Sanchez had elected to leave her daughter with a relative. Democrats and immigrant advocates have argued that due process rights of immigrants are being violated during the deportation drive of U.S. President Donald Trump - and that young children are being caught up in it. Last week, a Trump-appointed U.S. judge in Louisiana said a 2-year-old U.S. citizen was deported with her mother and sister to Honduras "with no meaningful process." In a similar case in Louisiana last week, two U.S. citizen children - including one with a rare form of cancer - were also deported to Honduras with their mother, advocates said. In the case of Sanchez, she told Reuters she was surprised at a routine check-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tampa last Thursday, and that she was given no choice but to leave behind her daughter. "They told me to call my husband, that our daughter had to stay and that I would go," she said in an interview at a family member's home near the Cuban capital, Havana. "My daughter got nervous and agitated and began to ask for milk, but it didn't matter to them." The Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that Sanchez's statement was inaccurate and contradicted standard ICE protocol. "Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with someone the parent designates," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed response late on Monday. "In this case, the parent stated they wanted to be removed without the child and left the child in the care of a safe relative in the United States." DHS did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for evidence that Sanchez had been offered the choice to take her child with her. Sanchez said she arrived in her home country hours after being detained, with no passport or identification and no documentation from the United States explaining the reason for her deportation. Democratic U.S. Representative Kathy Castor called the treatment of the Sanchez family "unconscionable and wrong" and urged Trump on Monday to reunite the family in Florida. DUE PROCESS CONCERNS Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, an aggressive campaign that has created challenging situations for so-called "mixed-status families" where children or other family members have U.S. citizenship or legal status while others do not. Sirine Shebaya, executive director of the National Immigration Project, said the two Honduran mothers were taken into custody during routine check-ins and that they were never given the choice to leave their children with a caregiver in the U.S. Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, called the children's deportations "sickening" and "immoral" in a speech on the Senate floor on Monday, saying the rule of law was "under attack." In a response to Reuters, McLaughlin said ICE did not deport U.S. citizen children and that "their mother made the determination to take her children with her back to Honduras." Trump border czar Tom Homan on Monday blamed parents for putting their children at risk of deportation by remaining in the United States. "If you choose to have a U.S.-citizen child, knowing you're in this country illegally, you put yourself in that position," he said. Sanchez, 44, had been under deportation orders since 2019 but was allowed to temporarily live and work in the United States as long as she regularly checked in with ICE. During that time, she married a Cuban-born naturalized U.S. citizen and had her first child in November 2023. Her husband sought legal residence in the U.S. for Sanchez two years ago as a result of their marriage, but had yet to receive a response, she said. Sanchez said officials separated her from her child at the check-in, escorted her to a van, handcuffed her and later that day deported her by air to Cuba alongside 81 others. "I can't sleep, I can't rest," a tearful Sanchez said. "All I ask is that they reunite me again with my daughter." POLICY CHANGE The cases highlight a sharp break in policy between the Trump and Biden administrations. Under Democratic President Joe Biden, ICE officials were instructed to consider the impact of enforcement action on families. Trump rescinded that guidance, broadening the scope of enforcement and targeting migrants like Sanchez with standing deportation orders. Sanchez, who said she had no criminal record, is now just a few hundred miles from her daughter in Florida but a world apart. Worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicine on the communist-run island, just 90 miles (145 km) off Key West, have made life unbearable for many Cubans. The crisis has spurred a record-breaking exodus from the island of over 1 million people, a predicament Cuba blames on U.S. sanctions that contribute to strangling an already inefficient state-run economy. Sanchez said she now faced the "impossible" decision to remain apart from her infant daughter or reunite with her family in crisis-racked Cuba. "Everybody knows the situation here," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Illegal immigrant complains after she's deported without her daughter — but ICE said she wanted girl to stay in US
HAVANA, April 29 – Cuban mother Heidy Sanchez collapsed into tears as she recalled the moment last week when U.S. immigration officials in Florida told her she would be deported and separated from her still-breastfeeding 1-year-old daughter. 'They told me to call my husband, that our daughter had to stay and that I would go,' she told Reuters in an interview at a family member's home near the Cuban capital, Havana. 'My daughter got nervous and agitated and began to ask for milk, but it didn't matter to them.' The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that Sanchez' statement was inaccurate and contradicted standard Immigration and Customs Enforcement protocol. 3 Heidy Sanchez, 44, reacts after talking to her daughter who is in the U.S. during an interview with Reuters at her home in Havana, Cuba, April 28, 2025. REUTERS 'Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with someone the parent designates,' Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed response late on Monday. 'In this case, the parent stated they wanted to be removed without the child and left the child in the care of a safe relative in the United States.' DHS did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for evidence that Sanchez had been offered the choice to take her child with her to Cuba. Sanchez said she arrived in her home country hours after being detained, with no passport or identification and no documentation from the United States explaining the reason for her deportation. The contradictions in Sanchez' case highlight concerns among civil rights advocates over the due process rights of immigrants during U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, a key platform of his 2024 election campaign. 3 Carlos Yuniel Valle, husband of Heidy Sanchez stands with his young daughter and supporters at a press conference established by the family and local social justice groups to protest the deportation of his wife to Cuba by American immigration authorities. David Decker/Shutterstock Trump's administration on Monday touted the early results of the aggressive enforcement measures, highlighting a drop in illegal border crossings. Democrats and civil rights advocates, however, have criticized his administration's tactics, including the cases of several U.S.-citizen children recently deported with their parents. One of the children had a rare form of cancer, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Unlike those cases, Sanchez, who was surprised at a routine check-in at an ICE office in Tampa last Thursday, said she was given no choice but to leave behind her daughter, a U.S. citizen. She said officials separated her from her child, escorted her to a van, handcuffed her and later that day, deported her by air to Cuba alongside 81 others. Sanchez, 44, had been under deportation orders since 2019 but was allowed to temporarily live and work in the United States as long as she regularly checked in with ICE. During that time, she married a Cuban-born naturalized U.S. citizen and had her first child in November of 2023. Her husband sought legal residence in the U.S. for Sanchez two years ago as a result of their marriage, but had yet to receive a response, she said. Sanchez broke down several times during the interview with Reuters. She said she understood that ICE officials were 'just doing their job' but said separating a mother from her breastfeeding infant was 'unjust.' 'I can't sleep, I can't rest,' she said. 'All I ask is that they reunite me again with my daughter.' 3 Community organizer, Ruth Beltran rallys a crowd while Carlos Yuniel Valle, husband of Heidy Sanchez stands with his young daughter and supporters at a press conference established by the family and local social justice groups to protest the deportation of Heidy to Cuba by American immigration authorities. David Decker/Shutterstock The case underscores a sharp break in policy between the Trump and Biden administrations. Under Biden, ICE officials were instructed to consider the impact of enforcement action on families. Trump rescinded that guidance, which had prioritized the deportations of serious criminals. Instead, Trump broadened the scope of enforcement, including targeting migrants like Sanchez with standing deportation orders. Sanchez, who said she had no criminal record, is now just a few hundred miles from her daughter in Florida but a world apart. Worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicine on the communist-run island, just 90 miles (145 km) off Key West, have made life unbearable for many Cubans. The crisis has spurred a record-breaking exodus from the island of over 1 million people, or upwards of 10% off the population, a predicament Cuba blames on U.S. sanctions that contribute to strangling an already inefficient state-run economy. Sanchez said she now faced the 'impossible' decision to remain apart from her infant daughter or bringing her to crisis-racked Cuba. 'Everybody knows the situation here,' she said.
AsiaOne
29-04-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Deported Cuban mother separated from breastfeeding 1-year-old daughter, World News
HAVANA — Cuban mother Heidy Sanchez collapsed into tears as she recalled the moment last week when US immigration officials in Florida told her she would be deported and separated from her still-breastfeeding 1-year-old daughter. "They told me to call my husband, that our daughter had to stay and that I would go," she told Reuters in an interview at a family member's home near the Cuban capital, Havana. "My daughter got nervous and agitated and began to ask for milk, but it didn't matter to them." The US Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that Sanchez' statement was inaccurate and contradicted standard Immigration and Customs Enforcement protocol. "Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with someone the parent designates," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed response late on Monday (April 28). "In this case, the parent stated they wanted to be removed without the child and left the child in the care of a safe relative in the United States." DHS did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for evidence that Sanchez had been offered the choice to take her child with her to Cuba. Sanchez said she arrived in her home country hours after being detained, with no passport or identification and no documentation from the United States explaining the reason for her deportation. The contradictions in Sanchez' case highlight concerns among civil rights advocates over the due process rights of immigrants during US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, a key platform of his 2024 election campaign. Trump's administration on Monday touted the early results of the aggressive enforcement measures, highlighting a drop in illegal border crossings. Democrats and civil rights advocates, however, have criticised his administration's tactics, including the cases of several US-citizen children recently deported with their parents. One of the children had a rare form of cancer, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Unlike those cases, Sanchez, who was surprised at a routine check-in at an ICE office in Tampa last Thursday, said she was given no choice but to leave behind her daughter, a US citizen. She said officials separated her from her child, escorted her to a van, handcuffed her and later that day, deported her by air to Cuba alongside 81 others. Sanchez, 44, had been under deportation orders since 2019 but was allowed to temporarily live and work in the United States as long as she regularly checked in with ICE. During that time, she married a Cuban-born naturalised US citizen and had her first child in November of 2023. Her husband sought legal residence in the US for Sanchez two years ago as a result of their marriage, but had yet to receive a response, she said. Sanchez broke down several times during the interview with Reuters. She said she understood that ICE officials were "just doing their job" but said separating a mother from her breastfeeding infant was "unjust." "I can't sleep, I can't rest," she said. "All I ask is that they reunite me again with my daughter." The case underscores a sharp break in policy between the Trump and Biden administrations. Under Biden, ICE officials were instructed to consider the impact of enforcement action on families. Trump rescinded that guidance, which had prioritised the deportations of serious criminals. Instead, Trump broadened the scope of enforcement, including targeting migrants like Sanchez with standing deportation orders. Sanchez, who said she had no criminal record, is now just a few hundred miles from her daughter in Florida but a world apart. Worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicine on the communist-run island, just 90 miles (145 km) off Key West, have made life unbearable for many Cubans. The crisis has spurred a record-breaking exodus from the island of over one million people, or upwards of 10 per cent off the population, a predicament Cuba blames on US sanctions that contribute to strangling an already inefficient state-run economy. Sanchez said she now faced the "impossible" decision to remain apart from her infant daughter or bringing her to crisis-racked Cuba. "Everybody knows the situation here," she said. [[nid:717278]]
Straits Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Deported Cuban mother separated from breastfeeding 1-year-old daughter
HAVANA - Cuban mother Heidy Sanchez collapsed into tears as she recalled the moment last week when U.S. immigration officials in Florida told her she would be deported and separated from her still-breastfeeding 1-year-old daughter. "They told me to call my husband, that our daughter had to stay and that I would go," she told Reuters in an interview at a family member's home near the Cuban capital, Havana. "My daughter got nervous and agitated and began to ask for milk, but it didn't matter to them." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that Sanchez' statement was inaccurate and contradicted standard Immigration and Customs Enforcement protocol. "Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with someone the parent designates," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed response late on Monday. "In this case, the parent stated they wanted to be removed without the child and left the child in the care of a safe relative in the United States." DHS did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for evidence that Sanchez had been offered the choice to take her child with her to Cuba. Sanchez said she arrived in her home country hours after being detained, with no passport or identification and no documentation from the United States explaining the reason for her deportation. The contradictions in Sanchez' case highlight concerns among civil rights advocates over the due process rights of immigrants during U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, a key platform of his 2024 election campaign. Trump's administration on Monday touted the early results of the aggressive enforcement measures, highlighting a drop in illegal border crossings. Democrats and civil rights advocates, however, have criticized his administration's tactics, including the cases of several U.S.-citizen children recently deported with their parents. One of the children had a rare form of cancer, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Unlike those cases, Sanchez, who was surprised at a routine check-in at an ICE office in Tampa last Thursday, said she was given no choice but to leave behind her daughter, a U.S. citizen. She said officials separated her from her child, escorted her to a van, handcuffed her and later that day, deported her by air to Cuba alongside 81 others. Sanchez, 44, had been under deportation orders since 2019 but was allowed to temporarily live and work in the United States as long as she regularly checked in with ICE. During that time, she married a Cuban-born naturalized U.S. citizen and had her first child in November of 2023. Her husband sought legal residence in the U.S. for Sanchez two years ago as a result of their marriage, but had yet to receive a response, she said. Sanchez broke down several times during the interview with Reuters. She said she understood that ICE officials were "just doing their job" but said separating a mother from her breastfeeding infant was "unjust." "I can't sleep, I can't rest," she said. "All I ask is that they reunite me again with my daughter." The case underscores a sharp break in policy between the Trump and Biden administrations. Under Biden, ICE officials were instructed to consider the impact of enforcement action on families. Trump rescinded that guidance, which had prioritized the deportations of serious criminals. Instead, Trump broadened the scope of enforcement, including targeting migrants like Sanchez with standing deportation orders. Sanchez, who said she had no criminal record, is now just a few hundred miles from her daughter in Florida but a world apart. Worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicine on the communist-run island, just 90 miles (145 km) off Key West, have made life unbearable for many Cubans. The crisis has spurred a record-breaking exodus from the island of over 1 million people, or upwards of 10% off the population, a predicament Cuba blames on U.S. sanctions that contribute to strangling an already inefficient state-run economy. Sanchez said she now faced the "impossible" decision to remain apart from her infant daughter or bringing her to crisis-racked Cuba. "Everybody knows the situation here," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
